My journal entry today will be an
expansion on the definition of Ageism towards elders. I feel like I’ve come to
realize, as I’m growing into an adult in an adult environment, how youth’s
mistakes and attitudes shall always be unpredictable and changing, so attuned
to the time & place, that it’s rather useless, in my opinion, to discuss
and attempt to remedy the situation. So here I’d like to attempt to understand
Ageism towards elders.
Ageism, as we’re told is, “a form of
systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people, simply because they
are old. (Adams et al. p. 559) This can entail many things, in the social aspect;
people may degrade an aged person by calling them names, denying them equal
treatment, ignoring their opinions in a group setting, and/or stereotyping
them. In the workplace, they may be chosen last to do upcoming projects or even
denied a renewal in their work contracts on the basis of their age. The ways to
discriminate are endless, because a person’s interactions with others are
countless till he dies.
Now, discrimination may not be unfounded.
As our text states, “Some profound and common problems of old age are, mobility
problems, dementia, and incontinence, which are unattractive and provoke a
negative response. (Adams et al. p. 563)
Why is this an issue? I feel like, as a
person ages and exhibits signs of age, these should be respected and
understood, rather than using them as a basis to justify our negative reactions.
The life they’ve lived, no matter how insignificant, is still a full life that
we haven’t lived, or even have the guarantee to live. They have experienced many
things that have given them a chance to relate insights, some that may seem
completely illogical, but may have a far-reaching effect that we, in our
current phase of life, will not be able to grasp the understanding of.
Last summer, I’ve worked with an
eighty-six year old World War II veteran to write his memoir. I was intrigued
by the patience he had, he was discriminated as a black man all his life, yet
he still manages to accomplish so much, being deployed multiple times overseas,
lived a moralistic life, worked hard, had children, and was loved by everyone
he met. His acceptance of who he was and self-confidence, and hard work made
him content and able to do exactly what he wanted to do in life, despite the
hardships. That is a great life, a life that is a lesson to me and everyone
else. How and why would I discriminate against him, or even justifiably justify
discrimination? If I do justify it, then I should be able to justify it for
every old person I meet. And that isn’t possible. In our society in America, we
are taught to value a person’s worth by materialistic components. How well can
a person perform in a workplace, how much money does he have, how big is his
home, etc. So when a group of people display another type of mentality or moral
of their lives, they are immediately marginalized. This may seem like an
extreme example to some, but look at the Amish community. They have completely
different lifestyle, so much so, that the interactions with the real world are
limited as well. Why? It isn’t that they are hidden away, why there is a huge
Amish community in Maryland, right in St. Mary’s county. Yet the majority of
people who visit and interact them are other minorities. Is this evidence of
America’s attitude towards anyone who displays otherworldly morals and values?
Resources:-
Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J.,
Castaneda, C., Hackman, H., Peters, M., Zuniga, X., (2013). Readings for Diversity and Social Justice.
New York: Routledge.s
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